DHAKA -Bangladesh ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan said he skipped the Test series against Sri Lanka in a bid to take a good preparation for the upcoming World T20, which will be held in India.
Having said this, he claimed his explanation to opt out the Test series is not conveyed properly rather he was blamed not to play the Test cricket.
“It’s not right that I didn’t want to play Test cricket. Those who kept saying that I don’t want to play Test cricket, probably didn’t read the letter what I wrote to BCB properly,” Shakib said in a live session with a
cricket website.
Once Shakib applied to BCB for a leave from the Test series against Sri Lanka, Cricket Operations chairman Akram Khan said Shakib didn’t want to play Test cricket.
Shakib had to be criticized viciously once Akram made this comment. “Akram bhai especially has repeatedly said that I don’t want to play Tests. I think he said it again in an interview yesterday. I guess he never read the letter. People should have a clear idea that I wanted to play the IPL even if ODIs were scheduled during this time,” he said.
Shakib said as the World T20 will be held in India, the IPL will help him to take a better preparation-a chance which he doesn’t want to miss.
“The World T20 will be held in India and it will be held months after the IPL. So it’s an advantage for me to take a better preparation. I can also share my experience with my teammates,” Shakib explained.
Shakib however also showed his gratitude towards the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan Papon, who gave him the permission to play IPL.
“I want to thank him for the way he backs me. A cricketer should have the freedom and when he gets support from the top boss, his confidence will just grow up,” he said. But he said that the BCB should not hold the Test series during the IPL.
“Look at the other boards-they don’t hold any Test series during the IPL. Only we are playing the Test series during IPL. Other boards had already allowed their players to play IPL,” he pointed out.
He also said that the Test series against Sri Lanka, which is the part of World Test Championship, doesn’t have the value now with the finalists being selected and at the same time, Bangladesh is at the bottom of the table.BSS
